[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 28, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2049]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. Wicker, and Mrs. Murray):
  S. 754. A bill to support meeting our Nation's growing cybersecurity 
workforce needs by expanding the cybersecurity education pipeline; to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, a skilled workforce is essential to 
addressing the growing cybersecurity challenges in the United States. 
In both the public and private sectors, a shortage of skilled cyber 
security professionals has hindered the Nation's cyber preparedness. 
According to a 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study, 1.8 
million more cyber security professionals will be needed worldwide by 
2022.
  Data breaches at the Office of Personnel Management in 2015 
highlighted the need for robust cyber security protections at the 
Federal level, which include a strong and skilled workforce. Since 
2001, the Federal Government has operated a cyber security education 
program known as CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service. Thanks to great 
leadership by Chairman John Thune and the U.S. Senate Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Congress codified the CyberCorps 
Program as part of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. Serving 
roughly 70 institutions, the National Science Foundation, NSF, grants 
award to institutions as part of the CyberCorps Program. Institutions 
utilize grants to build capacity for cyber security programs and 
provide scholarships to students. Scholarship recipients must fulfill a 
service requirement in a federal, state or local government cyber 
security job upon graduation.
  In recent years, more community colleges have provided opportunities 
for students to gain much needed cyber security skills. An October 2015 
study by the National Academy for Public Administration reviewed the 
CyberCorps Program and formulated major recommendations to improve it. 
One of the Academy's recommendations was to include qualified 2-year 
programs in the program regardless of their association with a 4-year 
institution. Currently, NSF only provides scholarship awards to 
students in 2-year programs who will transfer into a 4-year program.
  Today, I am pleased to introduce with my colleague Senator Roger 
Wicker, the Cybersecurity Scholarship Opportunities Act of 2017. This 
legislation will improve the federal cyber security workforce pipeline 
by directing the CyberCorps Program to provide 5 percent of 
scholarships to career changers and military veterans at qualified 2-
year programs with no transfer requirement. The bill would also codify 
CyberCorps' K-12 education program and align the skills required for 
scholarship eligibility with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity 
Education Framework.
  In addition, the bill would enhance cyber security protection for 
critical infrastructure by allowing CyberCorps graduates, on a case-by-
case basis, to meet their service requirements in critical 
infrastructure missions at government-affiliated entities like the 
Tennessee Valley Authority. Just today, a report by the Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology found that digital threats to U.S. critical 
infrastructure demand attention and that the Nation does not produce 
enough graduates with the skills to protect critical infrastructure. It 
recommended that the President take steps to increase the supply of 
skilled professionals. By allowing CyberCorps graduates to fulfill 
service obligations in critical infrastructure missions, this 
legislation represents an important step in the right direction.
  The Cybersecurity Scholarship Opportunities Act is a commonsense, 
bipartisan bill that would help students succeed and strengthen our 
national security. There are cyber security jobs in Virginia and across 
the country that are going unfilled, and it is clear we must make it 
easier for students to access the programs that prepare them for these 
roles.
                                 ______